Package having a lifting and opening tab



Oct. 11, 1966 e. F. MARTIN ETAL 3,

PACKAGE HAVING A LIFTING AND OPENING TAB Original Filed Feb. 23. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet l 22 290.2: 34. \2435 soc. 26

INVENTORS GEORGE F. MARTIN ARMAND E. RE

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ATTORNEY 1966 e. F. MARTIN ETAL 3,

PACKAGE HAVING A LIFTING AND OPENING TAB Original Filed Feb. 23, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

. INVENTORS 1 GEORGE F. MARTIN ARMAND E. RE 42 40 A TTOR NE Y Oct. 11, 1966 cs. F. MARTIN ETAL 3,278,019 PACKAGE HAVING A LIFTING AND OPENING TAB Original Filed Feb. 23. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS GEORGE F. MARTIN ARMAND E. RE FIG. 8 BY gp."

ATTORNEY United States Patent 1 Elaiin. (Cl. 20665) This application is a division of application Serial No. 10,387 filed February 23, 1960, now abandoned.

This invention relates to an improved wrapper for packaging reams of paper or the like wherein the wrapper has means for readily lifting the packaged article from its larger shipping or storing container and for readily opening the package.

It is well known in the packaging art, and, particularly with respect to packaging reams of paper, that each ream of paper has an individual wrapper covering the same. And subsequently, for transportation, these packages are placed in large shipping cartons whereby a plurality of packages of paper can be readily shipped or stored.

When the larger carton containing the individually wrapped reams of paper reaches its destination, it is very difficult to remove the individual packages from large shipping cartons because of the close tolerances between the edges of the packages and the side walls of the cartons.

However, according to the teachings of this invention, an improved wrapper for an article or articles is provided whereby such wrapped packages can be readily removed from their larger shipping carton and be readily opened.

While the wrapper of this invention is herein referred to as being particularly adaptable for wrapping reams of paper, it is to be understood that such wrapper may be utilized with many other types of articles.

Generally, a wrapper of this invention includes an elongated tab secured to the inner surface of the wrapper in such a manner that an end of the tab projects from an end of the wrapper so that when the wrapper is disposed around an article, such as a ream of paper, the tab can be utilized to lift the package from its larger shipping or storing container and to subsequently open said wrapper.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wrapper for packaging an article or articles.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved package which can be readily removed from its larger shipping or storing container.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved package of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the wrapper utilized to form the package illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view illustrating the manner of folding the closure flaps of the wrapper illustrated in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the packages of this invention disposed in a larger shipping container;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the shipping container illustrated in FIGURE 4 and illustrates the manner of initially removing an individual package therefrom;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 illustrating an individual package being raised from the shipping container;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the package illustrated in FIGURE 1 and illustrates the manner of initially opening the same;

3,278,919 Patented Oct. 11, 1966 FIGURE 8 is a perspective view illustrating the method of further opening the package; and,

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the package illustrated in FIGURE 1 and illustrates the final stages of the opening thereof.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURE 1 illustrates a package of this invention, generally indicated by reference numeral 10, which includes an outer wrapper 11 covering the sides of a six-sided object or article and, in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the wrapper 11 covers the six sides defined by a stack or ream of flat sheets of paper.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, wrapper 1r1 may be formed from any suitable material, such as paper and the like, and is adapted to be suitably folded, either prior to the packaging operation or during the same in any well known manner whereby wrapper 11 is adapted to be folded to define a side panel 12 and a pair of end panels 13 and 14 respectively foldably connected at their inner side edges to opposed end edges of side panel 12.

A pair of side panels 15 and 16 are respectively foldably connected at inner end edges thereof to outer side edges of end panels 13 and 14. Side panels 15 and 16 may be of the same size or of different sizes as illustrated in FIGURE 2. However, side panels 15 and 16 are so constructed and arranged that when the same are folded in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 1, the free edges 17 and 18 of the respective panels 15 and 16 overlap at 19 to cover an area substantially equal to the area covered by first-named side panel 12.

A pair of series 20 and 21 of closure flaps are respectively foldably connected to outer edges of panels 12-16. Each series 20 and 21 of closure flaps includes a flap 22 foldably connected to side panel 15, a closure flap 23 foldably connected to end panel 13, a closure flap 24 foldably connected to side panel 12, a closure flap 25 foldably connected to end panel 14, and a closure flap 26 foldably connected to side panel 16.

Each closure flap 22 is divided into two foldable sections 27 and 28 by diagonal fold line 29a. Similarly, each closure flap 26 is divided into two foldable sections 29 and 30 by diagonal fold line 300.

Each closure flap 24 is divided into three foldable sections 31, 32 and 33 by respective diagonal fold lines 34 and 35.

A lift and tear tab 36 formed of any suitable material is secured to side panel 15 and coextensive closure flaps 22 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2. The elongated tab 36 may comprise a tape having adhesive on one surface thereof whereby tab 36 is adhesively secured to wrapper 11 with end 37 thereof projecting beyond one of closure flaps 22.

While the lift and tear tab 36 is illustrated in FIGURE 2 and other figures of the drawing as being secured to side panel 15, it is to be understood that the same may be placed at A or B, FIGURE 2, whereby tab 36 would be secured to side panel 1-2 and its coextensive closure flaps 24 or to side panel 16 and its coextensive closure flaps 26, as desired.

After tab 36 has been secured to the inside surface of wrapper 11 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2, the wrapper is disposed around a six-sided rectangular object, such as a stack or ream of flat paper sheets, whereby side panel 12 covers a first side thereof, end panels 13 and 14 respectively cover a second and third side thereof, and side panels 15 and 16 cover a fourth side thereof with free ends 17 and 18 overlapping in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 1 at 19.

3 wrapped. By disposing closure flaps 23 and 25 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3, the respective triangular sections 28, 31 and 33, 29 permit closure flaps 24-, 22 and 26 to be folded over the respective sides of the object in a manner whereby a portion 38 of each series 20 and 21 of closure flaps is disposed on top of sides 15 and 16 and secured thereto in any suitable manner, such as by gluing or the like.

As illustrated in FIGURE 3, end 37 of lift and tear tab 36 projects beyond closure flap 26 and also beyond closure flap 24 so that when the portion 38 of the respective series 20 and 21 of closure flaps is folded in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 1, the end 37 of tab 36 projects therebeyond and is free to be readily grasped in the manner hereinafter described.

After a plurality of packages 16 have been formed as described, the same are disposed in a large shipping carton or container 39 of any suitable construction having opposed pairs of side walls 40, 41 and 42, 43 whereby opposed ends 44 and 45 of each package 10 are disposed in abutting relation with side walls 41 and 410 of carton 39.

When it is desired to remove an individual package 10 from shipping carton 39, a person merely grasps free end 37 of lift and tear tab 36 and lifts upwardly whereby tab 36 tears through portion 38 and permits package 10 to have one end thereof elevated in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 5. Further lifting of end 37 of tear tab 36 causes the individual package 10 to be raised at a greater angle as illustrated in FIGURE 6 whereby package 10 can be readily manually grasped to be removed from carton 39.

After package 10 has been removed from container 39, the package 10 can be subsequently opened by merely pulling downwardly on tab 36, FIGURE 7, to cause the tab to tear through closure flap 24. Thereafter, tear tab 36 is pulled upwardly, FIGURE 8, to tear through closure flap 22 and side panel 15 until the tab reaches the other end of package 10. Then, tab 36 is pulled downwardly to simultaneously tear through closure flaps 24 and 22, FIGURE 9, whereby the paper or article can be readily removed from wrapper 11.

Since lift and tear tab 36 is secured to the inner surface of side panel 15 in such a manner that same is not disposed at the overlapping portion 19 of side panels 15 and 16, tear tab 36 only tears through one thickness of side panel material. However, when the same is disposed in the position illustrated at B in FIGURE 2, the same can tear through the double thicknesses of side panel material at the overlapping portion 19 of side panels 15 and 16. Further, when tear tab 36 is disposed in position A illustrated in FIGURE 2, the tear tab will tear through side panel 12. Also, when lift and tear tab 36 is in position A, tab 36 will simultaneously tear through only the overlapping closure flaps 26 at each end of the package when pulled in the proper direction.

Accordingly, there has been provided an improved wrapper for packaging whereby means are provided for readily lifting a package from a larger shipping container and for subsequently readily permitting opening of the wrapper to reach the article contained therein.

While the foregoing presents a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is obvious that other modifications and/or equivalents may be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a relatively large shipping and storage container having opposed pairs of side walls, a plurality of individually wrapped packages of paper packed horizontally disposed in said container in a plurality of rows and layers, each package having its oppos d ends in tight abutting relation with an adjacent container side wall, said package comprising:

an individual wrapper for each package of paper,

said wrapper having a centrally located b0ttorn covering panel,

a first pair of panels respectively foldably connected at side edges thereof to side edges of said bottom panel,

said first pair of panels covering the opposite sides of said package of paper,

a second pair of panels respectively connected at edges thereof to the outer lateral edges of said side-covering panels,

said second pair of panels overlapping each other adjacent their free edges covering the top surface of said package of paper,

a pair of series of closure flaps foldably connected laterally to each other and respectively endwise to opposite ends of said panels,

said closure flaps being folded over and covering the ends of said package of paper, and

an elongated combined lifting and tearing tab secured to an inner surface of one of said panels and positioned and adapted to be readily grasped to lift one edge of said package of paper disposed within said container by a force applied medially of said edge and to tear said wrapper along said tab to open said wrapper.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 469,981 3/1892 Sauerston, 1,144,559 6/1915 Mendelson. 1,849,248 3/ 1932 Quinn. 1,909,126 5/ 1933 Satterthwaite. 1,963,190 6/1934 Berkowitz. 2,117,194 5/1938 McElroy. 3,113,666 10/1963 Will 229-51 FOREIGN PATENTS 643,196 5/1928 France.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. 

